Actions Speak Loudest

New book gives ways to make a difference in your home, community and the world

October 22, 2009

Every generation makes a commitment to see its children lead better lives than they have and to leave the world a better place than they have inherited. Today's issues are combining to create the first generation of children expected to lead shorter, unhealthier and unhappier lives than their parents.

Robert McKinnon compiled and edited Actions Speak Loudest: Keeping Our Promise for a Better World, which features 32 essays from a diverse group of headliners -- among them President Jimmy Carter, Newt Gingrich, Geoffrey Canada (Harlem Children’s Zone), Rachel Ray, and Penn State football coach Joe Paterno.

Actions Speak Loudest delves into the heart of thirty-two issues, ranging from childhood obesity to climate change, that are critical to the well-being of the next generation. With evocative, award-winning photographs; articulate and accessible essays; and attainable, ambitious ideas for action the book is designed to help us keep our generational promise.

The contributors—who span all walks of life and fields of work—are not just limited to well-known celebrities, authors and experts but also include everyday American heroes who have overcome their own personal challenges to make a difference in the lives of youth in their community.

America’s Promise Alliance Chair Alma Powell provided the following quote for the book:

“Throughout my life I have witnessed ordinary Americans involved in extraordinary acts of service. Collectively, these individual acts build momentum and become a movement for lasting change. I encourage everyone who reads these pages to think about how you can do something big or small to make a difference in your house, on your block, in your community, or throughout the world.”

The 5 Promises

The 5 Promises represent conditions children need to achieve adult success. The collective work of the Alliance involves keeping these promises to America’s youth. This article relates to the promises highlighted below: